1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to exercise devices, and more particularly, to an improved exercise apparatus including a resistance training assembly coupled within an exercising shoe.
Many exercises incorporate the use of elastic bands for total body conditioning and training. For certain exercises, the bands are utilized by placing them under the shoe's of the user. All too often, the bands slip out from under user's shoes. Not only is this distraction inconvenient, but it detracts from the focus of exercising, making it a much less enjoyable process. The frustration often leads to abandoning the use of the resistance bands, or even giving up on exercising entirely. The present invention seeks to optimize the overall quality of the user's workout by providing resistance bands that are easily pulled out of a built in coil inside the sole of the shoe. This thereby prevents the accidental disconnection and slippage of the band from under shoe.
With the increased attention on the benefits of exercising for overall health and longevity, users are looking to many different forms of exercise. Walking, running and cross training are among the most popular. Resistant bands currently known in the art are not suitable for this type of activity because there is no place to secure the bands while still walking or running. The present invention effectively uses the resistance bands while walking and running, a significant advantage over the prior art.
In the United States, there are 42.7 million people-who have gym memberships. On average these members go to the gym on a regular basis. As they are traveling from their homes or their offices to the gym, they do not want to carry gym equipment to add weight to their daily load. With the hectic schedules many members face, rushing to the gym is not uncommon. Under these hectic circumstances, forgetting to pack everything is a common occurrence. This is another advantage the prior art seeks to eliminate. The present invention specifically eliminates the burden of carrying excessive exercising equipment, and preventing users from forgetting their equipment.
For those who cannot go to the gym on a daily basis because of hectic work schedules or obligations at home, working out is still possible with the present invention. Users can still commit to a daily workout in the comforts of their own home or office. This invention is a comparable substitute that brings a rigorous gym workout to you wherever you are.
It is utilized for exercising the upper, lower, and core parts of the body. Notably, it does not require supervision from a personal trainer, and it is rather intuitive for a person to learn the workouts using the resistance bands. Many Americans also work extra shifts, or long hours, leaving barely any time in the day for exercising. For these busy workers, they can use the invention during convenient times of their day. They can work out while walking home from work, or while they are running their errands.
When a person has traveled far away from home on vacation or a business trip, the invention allows the user to exercise on their own from anywhere. Be it thousands of miles from the gym, while on vacation or business, the present invention allows the user to continue their daily exercise routine, with the full gym being carried in the shoe.
2. Description of the Related Art
United States Pat. Application No. 2006/0183609 to Flynn discloses a strap apparatus for stretching and strengthening muscles and connective tissue, and includes a segment of strap material having a first end, a medial portion, and a second end, having a loop formed in the first end, length adjustment means formed in the medial portion, and a connector element attached to the second end. The connector element is adapted for releasable connection to an anchor article, e.g. an extremity cuff member or a clothing article, bearing a receiver adapted for releasable attachment to the connector element.
United States Pat. Application No. 2007/0060454 to Vogel discloses a method and apparatus of attaching exercise equipment, such as various lengths and configurations of elastic resistance tubing, to athletic footwear. Among the many configurations of the invention is whereby the elastic tubing and handle assembly is permanently connected to the sneaker. Another configuration of the invention is the use of the elastic tubing and handle assembly being equipped with an end clip fastener that can be easily and quickly fastened to and/or unfastened from a sneaker or other type of footwear. Other improvements include a reinforcement ring that may be attached to one or more laces of the shoe and/or other components such as VELCRO strips that can be attached to the body of an athletic shoe to make the attachment, stowage and use of the elastic cord and handle assembly more secure and safer during use.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,087,003 to Katterjohn discloses an exercise system and method of use to achieve numerous workout possibilities without requiring attachment of the device to a fixed object such as a door or wall. The system includes a specially designed shoe clip for attachment to the front end of an exercise or tennis shoe. A strapping element, for use in conjunction with the shoe clip, is also specially designed for the overall system. The system and method are applicable for a wide variety of workout routines. The system includes attachment devices so that stretchable resistance bands or stretchable tubing material can be easily changed to vary the workout difficulty as desired.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,835,169 to Tamaribuchi discloses a left and right hand exercisers are formed based upon a modification of the handgrips disclosed and claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,979,015, wherein a throughbore is made through the grip, generally vertically through the elongation of the grip, at an angle between 82 and 88 degrees. A flattened tube of nylon webbing, or equal, is disposed through the throughbore, and is either connected to itself to form an endless loop spaced from the body of the grip in one embodiment. In another embodiment, the webbing passing through the bottom end of the grip is retained in place by one of several means. The end of the webbing emanating from the top of the grip may be attached directly to an elastic tube or band, or to a swivel split ring. If the latter, cables or other devices can be appended to the split ring as is known to the art.
While these units may be suitable for the particular purpose employed, or for general use, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention as disclosed hereafter.